Safety headgear



Jan. 10, 1956 M. N. ANDERSON 2,729,820

SAFETY HEADGEAR Filed Jan. 19, 1953 INVENTOR.

United States Patent SAFETY HEADGEAR Marshall N. Anderson, Grayslake, IlL, assignor to Sellstrom Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application January 19, 1953, Serial No. 332,001

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 2-8) This invention relates to a safety device and more particularly to a headgear adapted to be worn in instances where protection of the face of the wearer against hazards such as flying particles, the spray or splashing of deleterious liquids, wind, etc. is of particular concern.

Various protective devices of this type have heretofore been proposed, however, due to the design of such devices they are adapted for use under only certain working conditions thereby limiting, to a marked degree, the utility of such devices. Furthermore, these devices are frequently costly and complex in construction, weighty and bulky in design thereby causing discomfort to the wearer, or ineifective in providing the necessary protection to the wearer.

In certain instances it is often desirable to adjust the shield relative to the face of the wearer so as to enable the wearer to wear goggles or glasses behind the shield if so desired. A simple adjustment of the shield, in order to allow for such a situation, is not readily possible with prior devices. Also, it is often desirable to change the size, shape, or type of protective shield on the headgear to suit the type of work engaged in by the wearer. With prior devices of this type the substitution of various protective shields on a single headgear is not possible or at least cannot readily be accomplished without requiring extensive changes or adjustments to the remainder of the headgear.

Thus it is one of the objects of this invention to provide a headgear which overcomes the aforementioned shortcomings or disadvantages associated with the prior devices.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a headgear which is adapted to readily accommodate a wide variety of head sizes and shapes, and protective shields as well, is simple, yet sturdy, in construction, and is inexpensive to produce.

It is a still further object of this invention to provide a safety headgear which enables the wearer to readily pivot the shield out of protective position so as to permit direct view of the work by the wearer and then enable ready pivoting of the shield back to its original protective position without requiring additional adjustment of the shield with respect to the face of the wearer.

Further and additional objects will appear from the description, accompanying drawings, and appended claims.

In accordance with one embodiment of this invention a headgear is provided comprising a head-engaging membet, a shield unit, and connecting means having a portion thereof pivotally connected to said head-engaging memher and a second portion spaced from said first portion and pivotally connected to said shield unit; one of the pivotal connections of the connecting means providing more resistance to pivotal movement than the other pivotal connection. 1

. For a more complete understanding of this invention, referenceshould be made to the drawings wherein:

vFigure l is a fragmentary exploded perspective view of the headgear",

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the headgear assembled;

Figs. 3 through 6 are enlarged fragmentary side elevational views of the headgear showing the shield unit adjusted to various relative positions with respect to the head-engaging member; in Fig. 6, the frame is shown in dotted lines disposed in a non-protective position with respect to the face of the wearer; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 7-7 of Fig. 4.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, a safety headgear 10 for use by grinders, caulkers, machinists, laboratory technicians, and the like is shown wherein the protection of the face and forehead of the wearer from such hazards as flying particles, spraying or splashing of deleterious liquids and wind is of utmost importance. The headgear, in this instance, comprises a head-engaging member 11, a frame 12 mounted on member 11 for movement into and out of a forwardly disposed position with respect thereto, and a shield unit which includes a face protective shield 13 detachably mounted on said frame and movable therewith, and a brow or forehead protecting piece 14 detachably mounted on frame 12 and likewise movable therewith.

The head-engaging member 11 is formed of strips of relatively stiff, yet bendable, material and comprises a head-embracing ring 11a whose circumference may be varied by adjustment of lock screw 15 to comfortably accommodate the head of the wearer; Mounted on the inside of substantially the fronthalf of the ring 11a is a sweat band 16 formed of soft material and which is adapted to engage the brow or forehead of the wearer. Pivotally connected to opposite sides of ring 11a at points 18 is an overhead strap 17 which is adapted to rest on the top of the wearers head. Disposed to the rear of each pivotal connection 18 and rigidly secured to ring 11a by rivets 19 is a forwardly and upwardly extending protuberance or car 20. The forward .free end 21 of each of the ears 20 is offset outwardly a slight amount from ring 11a so as to enable strap 17 to pivot freely through an arc of more than Pivotally connected at point 22 to the offset free end 21 of each of the cars 20 is a connecting link 23. Both links are of the same size and shape. Pivotally connected at point 24 to the opposite end of each link 23 and spaced from pivotal connection 22 is one end of frame 12. The pivotal connections 22 and 24 will be discussed more fully hereinafter.

The frame 12 is semi-circular and strap-like in construction and has a plurality of apertures 25 formed therein and arranged in spaced relation with respect to one another, as seen more clearly in Fig. 1. Each of the apertures 25 is adapted to receive a removable snapin rivet 26 which is of conventional construction having an enlarged head 27 and a shank 28 having the free end thereof bifurcated and enlarged a slight amount. The bifurcated end of the shank 28 is slightly larger than the size of the aperture 25 so that once the rivet is inserted through the aperture, the expansion of the free end of the shank prevents the rivet from accidentally becoming disengaged from the frame.

The face protective shield 13, in this instance, is of an apron-shape and is formed of a clear plastic material having the edges thereof reinforced with a piping or hem 31. Formed along the upper edge of the shield 13 are a plurality of apertures 30 which are adapted to register with the apertures 25 formed in the frame when the shield and frame are in assembled relation. The shield 13, shown in Fig. 1, is of such size that it protects the neck as well as the portion of the face disposed below the forehead of the wearer. However, the shape and size of the shield 13 may be readily varied depending. on the particular type of workthe wearer is engaged in.

The forehead protecting piece 14, as shown in Fig. 1,

is provided with a front section 32 which is curved, to

conform somewhat to the contour of the forehead of the wearer. The lower edge 32:: of section 32 is substantially the same shape as frame 12 and is provided with a plurality of apertures 33 which are likewise adapted to register with the apertures 25 and 30 formed on the frame 12 and shield 13, respectively, when the headgear is assembled. The lower edge 32a of section 32 is adapted to cooperate with the frame 12 so as to effect sandwiching of the face protective shield 31 therebetween. The shanks 28 of the rivets 26 are of sufficient length so that they are adapted to extend through openings 25, 30, and 33 formed in frame 12, shield 13, and piece 14. In the protective piece 14, shown in Fig. 1, an inner section 35 is provided which is shaped substantially the same as section 32 and is pivotally connected at its opposite ends 34 to the corresponding ends of the front section 32. The inner section 35 may be pivoted relative to front section 32 so that a greater portion of the brow or forehead of the wearer may be protected, if so desired. The inner section 35 is provided with a pair of cut-outs 36, one of which is disposed forwardly of the adjacent pivotally connected end 34. The cut-outs 36 enable the shanks of the rivets to readily extend through the frame, shield, and piece without interference regardless of the relative position of the inner section 35 with respect to the outer section 32. The center portion of the inner section 35 is spaced sufficiently from the center back portion of the front section 32 so that no interference with the shank of the middle rivet is encountered. If so desired, the protective piece 14 may be replaced by a protective piece having only a front section 32, not shown, or, on the other hand, may be replaced by merely a backing strip which is substantially the same shape as frame 12; this latter backing strip is likewise not shown. The protective piece 14, frame 12, and connecting links 23 may be constructed of substantially the same material as ring 11a.

The pivotal connections 22 and 24 of each link 23 are of conventional construction and are shown enlarged in Fig. 7. Connection 22, however, is provided with a washer 37 which is disposed between opposing surfaces of link 23 and offset end 21 of the car 20. The function of the washer 37 is to reduce friction between link 23 and ear 20 and thereby enable the link 23 to pivot quite readily with respect to the ear 20. In connection 24, however, the opposing surfaces of the link 23 and the end of the frame 12 are in direct contact with one another thereby resulting in a relatively high amount of friction being encountered when the frame is pivoted relative to link 23. The result of this friction differential between connections 22 and 24 is that the frame 12 and connecting links 23 will remain in a substantially fixed relation upon the links 23 pivoting relative to the cars 20. Thus the wearer may preset the relative position of the frame 7 and links so that the shield 13, when in protective position, is spaced properly from the face of the wearer, and thereafter enable the wearer to readily move the shield 13 and frame 12 into and out of proper protective relation without necessitating any further adjustment of the links relative to the frame. By reason of the connecting links 23, the wearer may readily adjust the framerelative to the head-engaging ring 11a so that the shield 13 and piece 14 are disposed closer to or further from the face of the wearer, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, respectively. Furthermore, as seen in Fig. 5, if the head-engaging ring 11a is turned over so that the cars 20 thereofpoint downwardly and the connecting'links 23 are moved to substantially vertical positions, the shield 13 and frame 12 can be made to assume a lowered position relative to" the face of the wearer so that the neck and lower portions of the face are more adequately protected by the shield 13. On the other hand, to effect. raising of the shield and frame with respect to the ring 11a, the member 11 (ill 4 is returned to its normal position whereby the cars 20 thereof once again project upwardly, and the links 23 are then adjusted to assume upwardly extending positions, as seen more clearly in Fig. 6.

in Fig. 6, the shield and frame are shown in dotted lines after they have been moved from the normal face protective position A to the inoperative non-protective position B. t is to be noted in either position A or B that the relative angular position of the frame 12 and link 23 remains the same. This is due to the frictional differential which exists between pivotal connections 22 and 24. Connection 24 provides the greater frictional resistance and by reason of this fact, link 23 may be readiiy pivoted relative to the car 20 without having any effect on the relative position of the link and frame. The frictional resistance of connection 22, on the other hand, is such that the wearer may readily swing the shield and frame to position B by exerting a relatively small amount of upward force along the lower bound edge 31 of the shield. To return the shield and frame to position A, the wearer exerts a like force in the opposite direction.

Thus it will be seen that a safety headgear has been provided which enables the safety shield thereof to be readily adjusted into and out of a preset protective position with respect to the face of the wearer without requiring the headgear being removed from the head of the wearer and also does not require readjustment of the preset protective position. Furthermore a headgear has been provided which is comfortable to wear, provides effective protection for the wearer, and is inexpensive to produce.

While a particular embodiment of this invention is shown above, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A protective device comprising a head-encompass ing band provided with a protuberance secured to said band and extending angularly forwardly therefrom, the distal end of said protuberance being spaced laterally from said band and disposed outside the area delimited thereby and rearwardly of the front of said band; face and neck protecting means; supporting means on which said protecting means is mounted, said supporting means comprising an arcuate strip; an inflexible link disposed intermediate the distal end of said protuberance and the end of said arcuate strip; and a pair of frictional pivotal means connecting the respective ends of said link to said supporting means and the distal end of said protuberance and retaining said protecting means in selected spaced positions with respect to the face of the wearer and said band; the frictional resistance to pivotal movement of the pivotal means between the distal end of said protuberance and said link being greater than that of the other pivotal means.

2. A protective device comprising an invertible head encompassing band provided with an immovable protuberance extending angularly forwardly therefrom, the distal end of said protuberance being spaced laterally from said band and disposed outside the area delimited thereby and rearwardly of the front of said band; face and neck protecting means; supporting means on which said protecting means is removably mounted and invertible with respect thereto, said supporting means comprising an arcuate strip; an inflexible link disposed intermediate the distal end of said protuberance and the end of said arcuate strip; and a pair of frictional pivotal means connecting the respective ends of said link to said supporting means and the distal end of said protuberance and retaining said protecting means in selected spaced positions with respect to the face of the wearer 5 and said band; the frictional resistance to pivotal movement of the pivotal means between the distal end of said protuberance and said link being greater than that of the other pivotal means.

3. A protective device comprising a head-encompassing band provided with a protuberance secured to said band and extending angularly forwardly therefrom, face and neck protecting means, supporting means on which said protecting means is mounted, an inflexible link disposed intermediate said protuberance and said supporting means, a pair of frictional pivotal means connecting the respective ends of said link to said protuberance and said supporting means and retaining said protecting means in selected spaced positions with respect to the face of the wearer and said band, and forehead-protecting means, the latter comprising a first section fixedly attached to the supporting means and contoured to conform substantially to the configuration of the front portion of said band, and a second section having substantially the same configuration as said first section and being pivotally connected to said supporting means; said second section assuming a substantially coextensive relationship with said first section when in one position of pivotal adjustment.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 761,257 Schutt May 31, 1904 2,153,714 Fleming et a1 Apr. 11, 1939 2,187,932 Cornell Jan. 23, 1940 2,194,492 Bowers Mar. 26, 1940 2,246,442 Jackson June 17, 1941 2,272,833 Dockson Feb. 10, 1942 

